Social Security Numbers

Social Security Numbers - What are they?

The first three digits in a social security number indicate either where the person applied (if before 1972) or where they resided at the time (for those after 1972). It does not necessarily indicate where the person was born. (However, this does put them in a location in a given time frame).

The middle two digits are a code to identify fraudelent numbers.

The last four were randomly assigned.

What happens to my social security number after my death? According to the SSA, SSNs are not recycled. Upon an individual's death, the number is removed from the active files and is not reused. Recycling numbers might become an issue someday, but not any time soon -- statisticians say that the nine-digit SSN allows for approximately one billion possible combinations.

About Social Security Death Index: The Social Security Administration Death Master File contains information on millions of deceased individuals with United States social security numbers whose deaths were reported to the Social Security Administration. Birth years for the individuals listed range from 1875 to last year. Information in these records includes name, birth date, death date, and last known residence.